While You Were Sleeping
by Atellix
Summary: Cut scene from 2x02, "End of Nights II" -- While Henry is off taking care of Kate, an angry Nikola storms in to tell Helen that he can't do the impossible. But what is Nikola to do when he finds her asleep in her chair? *Prompt #82 – Can You Hear Me?*


**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the dynamic and fascinating characters from _Sanctuary_.  
**Author's Notes:** Nikola's perspective again, during 2x02 (End of Nights II) between his complaining about the lab equipment and testing the weapon on a nubbin. I tried as best I could to make the situation realistic and his voice authentic.  
**Spoilers:** If you've seen Season 1 and the beginning of Season 2, you're good.  
**100prompt:** #82 – Can You Hear Me?

_**NOTE: When Nikola is talking about Watson's "habit", it's in reference to his possible cocaine use. Since Sherlock Holmes did cocaine, and his character was based on James Watson, then Watson himself could have originally been a cocaine user. I'm just assuming that. So that's what Nikola is referring to.**_

* * *

**WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING**

Nikola's rapid steps reverberated up the walls as he thumped down the hall, shaking his head in annoyance. It would be hard for a spectator to tell if he was genuinely upset about a new development or just being his usual disgruntled self. Granted, he wasn't _always_ like this. He did have his positive moments of self-proclaimed brilliance. But being thrown into a situation haphazardly like this had rattled his nerves, and the large amounts of wine did nothing to calm him (as to be expected and despite how hard he wished).

Which is why, rather than knock as he normally would, he strolled into the office of Helen Magnum without pause or warning, ready for a fight.

"Okay, that's it. I've had it. I refuse to work with that benign excuse for a lycan, who feels that the pinnacle of scientific ingenuity is the creation of the Internet. It's so insulting."

The scientist had more to say, but stopped mid-rant, noticing that the woman to whom he was speaking was not only facing away from him in her chair, but was not responding. He felt his anger wane.

"Helen?"

When she didn't answer, he came around her desk. His features softened slightly when his gaze fell upon the sleeping form of Helen Magnus, her head resting on her fist, slouched in her chair. Had she been awake she could have been staring at the computer deep in thought. Instead her eyes were closed, her chest rising and falling gently as she slept.

Any other man would have been ashamed and would have crept quietly out of the room to let her sleep.

Nikola Tesla, however, was not just any man. And although the thought of leaving did cross his mind, he instead turned back to the sleeping figure, lowered his voice to a softer register, and continued.

"Oh what the hell," he said, "I might as well finish what I came here to say. There's no need for you to actually be awake for any of this. As a matter of fact," he said, continuing to think aloud, "I'm much preferring the fact that you're asleep. At least this way I won't have to compete with your commentary."

He paced a few steps before turning back. "You know me. I need to talk things through. Otherwise I'll have no way of achieving the impossible task that _you_," he said, pointing to the sleeping form, "that you, Helen Magnus, so graciously bestowed upon me. Thank you for that!"

He sighed and put his hands on his hips, turning away from her. "And believe me, it _is_ impossible. Now granted, I understand your unwavering faith in my genius -- I don't blame you, I am brilliant – but what you're asking me to do is like... asking Watson to give up his little 'habit'."

He raised his fingers to make air quotations before folding them again gently in front of him with a sigh, sounding slightly helpless. "There's just too much that I need. More time for one thing. Better equipment for another," he said, turning back to her as though just remembering something, "And another thing, how have you survived this long with such crappy equipment? Is it money? Are you cheap? Did you secretly squander it all away on abnormal pet food?"

She responded by taking a deep breath in her sleep and Nikola sighed. "I'm sorry," he said, waving helplessly with his hands, "It's just that you've asked me to do the impossible. And while I tend to occasionally dabble in the impossible, what you've given me is actually... impossible." He sighed and scratched the back of his head. "I can't... I can't do it, Helen. Not the way you want me to. I can't do it the way I usually do, you know, with the testing and experimenting and killing something in the process and then going back and modifying it. I can't do that. I mean at the very best..."

He trailed off for a moment before shrugging to her sleeping form. "At the very best, I could make the equivalent of a stun gun. It could slow her down momentarily, faze her slightly. But... I can't stop her. Not without testing it directly on her which, of course, is out of the question."

He smiled faintly at a developing thought. "Of course, I could always test it on your wolfish science geek. That's a step in the right direction, right? That's better than Ashley."

He rolled this thought around in his head for a minute before sighing and putting his hands on his hips. "No, you'd probably kill me. Or come as close as you can to killing an immortal being. You could be angry enough to find a way."

Looking at her sleeping form, he smiled, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Helen Magnus. Self-proclaimed defender of the abnormal race. With all that beauty and brains, it still boggles my mind how you ended up running an adoption center rather than rule the world."

He stilled suddenly, his voice crisp. "Not that I want you to rule the world. We both know that's my gig. But still," he said, softening, "You could have been anything... been with anyone..."

Nikola trailed off at that, clearing his throat and straightening himself. Heaving a sigh he said, "I'll try again. For you Helen, I'll... I'll give it another shot. But I have to test it on something. Some kind of abnormal. I'll ask that useless assistant you gave me what he would recommend. He would know better than I would what abnormal to use for testing."

His lips curled up into a cheeky smile. "I'm assuming the mermaid is out. As is the walking carpet you have around here serving tea."

He imagined the look of indignation on her face and he held his hands up in mock surrender. "I didn't think so."

He gently stepped up next to Helen and bent down to look at her face fully. He smiled lightly at the lines of concern still pressed into her forehead even as she slept. "Still working, even in your sleep," he whispered, "That's something we've always had in common."

Carefully so as not to wake her, Nikola gently kissed the top of her head. "Sleep well, my dear. I'm off to do the impossible."

He grinned as he straightened. "And I promise, I won't kill anything. Scar for life? Possibly," he said, grinning and imagining her cheeky response. He shrugged. "Don't be picky, I can only do so much."

Smiling down at her, he quietly stepped back around the desk and headed out the door, ensuring that his exit was much quieter than his entrance. But not before seeing the smallest quirk of a smile nestle itself in the corner of her mouth.

Silently, he closed the door behind him and headed back to the lab.


End file.
